The Marketing Pulse

Graphic Design Is Not Rocket Science, but Hiring a Professional Is a No-Brainer

By Rob Johnson

08/04/14

Dr. Ralph Speth, CEO of Jaguar, once quipped, “If you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design.” This statement rings true not only in the world of luxury automobiles but in every facet of design, including the graphic variety that your business uses every day.

Whether your company is developing a logo, website, newsletter, or simple response form, the package that is created reflects on you and your service and/or product. Despite the well-intentioned pep talk your mother may have given you about people getting to know your inner beauty, first impressions mean everything. In today’s attention deficient, social media driven society, perception is reality. No matter how great your product or service is, the package needs to be just as compelling or you will lose interest and sales.

Many business owners and managers believe they can and should be able to create their own collateral. They were smart and savvy enough to get this far, so why not? They also feel the cost for professional design services to be too high and the time spent just too valuable. Or maybe they should just hire someone “on the cheap.” ​

These thoughts really couldn’t be further from the truth. Hiring a professional to assist you in the development of your branding, marketing, and sales assets really is a no-brainer, and here are three of the reasons why:

1. It Saves You Time
I used to do my own taxes because I knew if I spent enough time (hours upon hours of banging the calculator and form upon form) I could indeed do it. Then one year, after actually hiring a professional to do it, I realized why I would benefit from hiring a professional. I get better returns and it allows me to focus on making money instead of counting it. The same is true in this instance. Let the designer agonize over the details of the look of your marketing materials so that you can better make use of your time by concentrating on your business. Not to mention, a professional designer has all the knowledge, tools and technology to do the work in a fraction of the time it would take you or some cut-rate operation to complete the task.

2. It Saves You Money
A professional designer can save you money in more ways than one. In addition to saving time, there is the technical end of design. Let’s say you bring your brochure to the printer but it’s not in the correct format and is not reading properly. This can require costly revisions or may result in even costlier printing errors. A professional understands all the standard design software and is trained on preparing files for print, web, email, or whatever final delivery is needed for the project. What’s more, there are many copyright and licensing legalities involved in the creation of branding and marketing materials. A professional designer understands the importance of gaining rights to fonts and art and will want to protect themselves, and in turn you, from any legal action. Think that website promising a custom logo for $19.99 is going back you up in court?

3. Perception is Reality
As mentioned above, the cover on this book better damn well match the inside pages because you will be judged by it. Many will not even open that book if the cover is sub-par and poorly executed. Professional designers or design services will get to know everything they can from you about the project you need completed. They will research it and work with you to present a polished product that communicates who and what your company represents. A graphic designer not only helps represent, but also improves the look and feel of your business. A good designer has a keen sense of history, but also stays current on graphic trends, font choices, and photo and image usage — all of which is invaluable in a marketplace that is ever changing and evolving.